


Night on the Docks

by Exdraghunt



Series: TUGS [1]
Category: TUGS (TV)
Genre: Asexual Character, Gen, Holoform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 17:05:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exdraghunt/pseuds/Exdraghunt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During his rare times in port, Hercules likes to spend his evenings on the docks observing the humans going about their business. But when he escorts a lost woman home, he finds himself with something he's never had before; a human friend. Part 1 of a series</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night on the Docks

**Author's Note:**

> Fanfic Ahoy! I wrote some TUGS fanfic, based on a random idea. I was inspired by the use of human “holoforms” in the Transformers fandom, and applied a similar idea to the tugboats.  
> Not a lot of plot, just me getting an idea down in writing.

Hercules had his hands in his pockets and whistled a merry tune as he walked along the Bigg City waterfront. He didn’t spend a lot of time in Bigg City port, but when he got the rare chance he always liked to go up on land and walk amongst the humans. The waterfront wasn’t a particularly safe place at night, full of bars and illicit activities, but a boat like Hercules had little to fear. Humans rarely messed with the living ships, as their human illusions felt no pain and could pop out of existence at the first sign of trouble. The other Star tugs usually spent their evenings near the Star dock, chatting and relaxing after hard days, but Hercules spent so much time out alone at sea he couldn’t help but be a little fascinated about humans. He saw them so rarely after all.

A drunk human suddenly stumbled into him and Hercules automatically reached out to steady the disheveled man. He muttered his thanks, then paled and fell silent when he looked up and met Hercules’ eyes. The drunken man’s uniform gave him away as a navy boy, and he had clearly seen Hercules for what he truly was. With a hurried thank you, he scrambled away.

The ocean tug just shrugged and continued on his way. He really didn’t understand these humans. The only human he ever regularly talked to was Captain Star, and frankly the rest of the species was rather mystifying to him.

Music spilled out of the bars, though none were quite as good as the famous Bridge Cafe Band. Hercules turned that way, deciding to enjoy the jazz and maybe visit Grampus, when he was distracted by yelling from down the nearest alley. Normally, shouting and yelling was par for the course on the waterfront, but in this case it wasn’t a drunken man but instead a woman’s voice.  
He didn’t like to get into the middle of human spats, but this sounded like someone was in trouble. Hercules turned down the alley and saw a large, grizzled man looming over a young woman who was clearly trying to rebuke his advances.

“Come on, bitch, don’t be so cold. You wouldn’t’ve come down here if y’ weren’t lookin’ for some action.”

“I said get away from me, creep,” She tried to push him away, but the old salt just laughed and grabbed at her wrist.

“Is there a problem here, darlings?” Hercules’ tone was flippant, but his face was very serious as he intruded on the situation. He wasn’t afraid for himself, since there wasn’t anything a human could do to him, but he didn’t want to escalate this and get the woman hurt.

“Buzz off,” The man spoke with the authority of someone very used to getting his way all the time. He met Hercules’ glare, eyes widening when he realized just what was confronting him, “What’s somethin’ like you doin’ up on the docks?”

“Just enjoying the evening. Now, I suggest you beat it, old boy.”

With a dark glare, the other man stalked off. Hercules sighed and put his best smile on his face, turning towards the woman, “Are you alright, m’dear?”

“Y-yeah, I think I’m fine. Thanks,” She brushed some hair out of her face and dusted off her skirt.

“It’s not often a young woman comes down to the docks, this isn’t a terribly safe place day or night.”

“Yeah, well, I’m new in town.” She sighed and picked her purse up off the ground, “I’m just a bit lost, I was looking for the theatre. Anyway, I’m Lucy. You wouldn’t happen to know where the theatre is?”

“Hercules,” He shook her hand politely, “And I’m afraid I don’t have a clue where the theatre is, m’dear. I don’t spend much time in port.”

“Oh, are you a sailor then?” Lucy looked down at his clothing and laughed, “What am I saying, of course you’re a sailor. Well, I think I’ve missed by show by now anyway, I might as well head home.”

Did she… not realize that he wasn’t human? That was really a first. Hercules wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but he did know that a pretty young woman probably wasn’t going to be able to walk home through the waterfront safely. “Would you like an escort? This part of town isn’t safe, especially for out-of-towners.”

“Unless I’m with you, I assume?”

“Well, of course, m’dear. No one brothers people like me down here.” It wasn’t a boast, just simple fact. Any drunk and disorderly sailor looking for a fight would get a good look at Hercules and turn the other way. “You’ll be quite safe.”

She gave him a skeptical look, but smiled all the same, “Well, I’ll take your word for it. I live over in the Central District. Do you know where that is?”  
He honestly didn’t, having never left the waterfront district, but he’d be able to figure it out. Though, maybe Warrior or Ten Cents would know? Or one of the other harbor tugs, Hercules knew they sometimes spent time around town. “I’m afraid not, darling, but I’m sure we can figure it out.”

“Great, you give me the new-in-town speech, but you haven’t lived here long enough to know your way around either.” Her words didn’t carry any bite, though. Lucy laughed lightly and headed down along the water.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, m’dear. I just don’t spend much time in port.” And his life was a fairly long stretch of time, he was coming up on his fifteenth year. Many tugs didn’t make it that long working hard every day with no breaks. Hercules looked out over the water, wondering at how different landmarks looked from up on land. And everything looked so much larger, of course. Humans were so small.

“Hi Hercules!” A lighthearted voice made Hercules look down, easily spotting the low, grey shape in the water.

“Oh, hello Grampus, m’dear. The Bridge Cafe Band isn’t giving you too much trouble, is it?”

“Not too bad tonight. Just cruising about a bit before I dock for the night.” Grampus, like most living ships, didn’t need a lot of sleep and was fairly used to puttering around the harbor until the Bridge Cafe closed down for the night, “What are you doing up there?”

“Oh, just have a bit of a walk around. I just got in tonight from a job up the coast.” Hercules nodded at Lucy, who was watching with some bewilderment, “This is Lucy, I’m taking her home.”

“Oh, I see,” Grampus grinned in a knowing way. The entire Star Fleet, and possibly the rest of the harbor, would probably know that Hercules had walked a human woman home by morning. “Well, goodnight Hercules.”

“Goodnight, m’dear. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that, Grampus puttered off into the night.

Lucy watched the whole exchange with disbelief, “Was that a talking submarine?”

“Living,” Hercules corrected gently, “And yes, his name is Grampus. He was built as a military submarine, but now he’s owned by Star Tug and Marine.”

“Uh huh,” Lucy nodded, “Sorry, I’m from a town inland. We don’t really have uh, -living- boats. Or ships. Or whatever. It’s just… really weird. To see a talking submarine.”

“Well, I suppose this might seem odd to someone from inland.” Hercules conceded, “But it’s really quite normal here.” He wondered whether or not he should tell her that he was a living ship. How would she react? He didn’t want her to become frightened and run off in the middle of the worst part of town.

“Yeah, that’s what I heard. Still a bit weird, not something you expect to see every day. A talking boat.”

Well, for Hercules it was actually far less likely for him to see a human, but that was semantics. “You’ll get used to it pretty fast, I’m sure.”

They continued walking, heading further away from the water and into Bigg City proper. It was a part of town Hercules had never seen before. He looked around in fascination at the tall skyscrapers and wide streets. Though it was late there were still people walking about on the streets, returning from the late night picture show or having an evening out on the town. Unlike the dirty sailors and unsavory women-folk of the waterfront, these people were well attired and (for the most part) sober.

The two walked for awhile and chatted idly about music and movies. It was a subject Hercules didn’t know much about, but he had at least passing knowledge of the subject. Eventually, Lucy was able to recognize where they were and turned straight for home.

“Well, thank you for walking me home, Hercules,” Lucy dug around in her handbag and managed to produce a piece of paper and a pen, “Here, this is my telephone number. Call me the next time you’re in port, we could go see a movie or something.”

“Sounds like a grand time, m’dear. Good night.” Hercules smiled and headed back for the waterfront.

Carefully following the route he had taken to get to Lucy’s apartment, the ocean tug was soon at the docks and turned towards the Star Dock. The other Star tugs were sitting on the dock in an assortment of ugly, second hand chairs scatted about. When Hercules walked up, all of them looked right at him with matching devious grins.

“Hey Hercules, I heard you’ve got a human gal,” Sunshine was the first to speak, winking at the larger tug with a roguish grin.

“Good evening, m’dears. I see Grampus works fast,” Hercules laughed and pulled up a seat. “Yes, I met a human girl named Lucy. She was lost, and I escorted her home.”

Ten Cents whistled, “Well, that’s how it starts, innit? Soon you’ll be doin’ that courtin’ and datin’ thing. Stop hangin’ out with us blokes and spend all yer time with yer lady friend.”

“Can we even do the human mating thing?” Sunshine wondered curiously.

“Don’t be so crass, Sunshine,” Top Hat spluttered. He quickly recovered, though, and turned toward Hercules, “And I think it’s nice you’ve met someone on land, you spend so much time out at sea.”

“Oh really. This isn’t a relationship or anything,” Hercules rolled his eyes. There were some who liked to think he was some kind of ladies man or womanizer, though really he just enjoyed others company no matter their gender. There certainly wasn’t any kind of attraction involved, and if there was he was still pretty sure he wasn’t attracted to humans. “We’ve just made plans to see a movie the next time I’m back in port.”

“Well, you just be careful, lad,” OJ commented sagely from his seat, “Humans are dangerous, I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Slowly, the conversation turned towards stories of human encounters. OJ, with his many years as a harbor tug, had plenty of crazy tales, but Sunshine and Ten Cents seemed to be able to match him tit for tat. Occasionally, Warrior and Top Hat would chime in. Hercules just sat back with Big Mac and watched.

The next morning, the Star Tugs woke up nice and early at 0600 to fire their boilers and start building steam pressure for the day. Briefing started at 0630 sharp, Captain Star giving out the orders for the morning. They were expecting in an ocean liner that afternoon, the RMS Olympic, and radio call had come in that morning indicating she was right on course for arrival. The Star Tugs had some small tasks to finish for the morning; coal, car, and garbage barges that needed to be delivered, then their instruction was to get cleaned up for the arrival of the Olympic.  
Hercules spent the morning giving himself a good wash down and clean up, making sure all of his lines were coiled nicely and his fenders hung straight. He had to make the best impression out of all the Star Fleet, after all, as he would be going out to greet the Olympic at sea.

Looking spic and span, Hercules sailed out to the entrance of the harbor to wait for the Olympic. Lillie was anchored out in her usual place, taking a doze in the morning sun after having shut off her beacon and fog horn for the day.

“Good morning, Lillie darling,” Hercules smiled and drifted alongside her, cutting his engine. It was just a waiting game now, which meant there was plenty of time to enjoy the company of Bigg City’s lightship. The nature of Lillie’s post meant that she got very few visitors outside of fuel deliveries, so Hercules always made a point of spending time with her when he was out near her station.

“Oh, good morning Hercules,” The lightship yawned lightly and smiled at the ocean tug, “How are you today?”

“I’m just fine, Lillie m’dear. We’re waiting on the Olympic to come in this afternoon, so I’m out here to await her arrival.” So that he wouldn’t waste coal and steam while waiting, Hercules threw out a few lines to  
Lillie and doused his boiler.

“Oh how exciting. And now I’ll have company for the morning.” Lille secured the lines and let Hercules raft up next to her.

The two drifted in the slight waves, watching the bustling shipping lanes of Bigg City Harbor as they chatted about the usual subjects. Well, perhaps “gossiped” was more accurate. Who had just come into port, who had left. New ship launchings, old ship scrappings. Who had gotten upgrades and who had been bought and who had been sold. Hercules and Lillie weren’t as bad as some, since neither spent much time in port, but the Star tug heard a good amount of gossip from his harbor-based fleet mates and kept decently abreast of the latest news.

After a while, the conversation turned to humans after Hercules mentioned meeting Lucy the night before. Lillie had never been ashore and only used her human form for small tasks out at sea, so her only encounter with humans had come from an at sea rescue she had performed several years before. She enjoyed hearing the stories the tugs told, and Hercules promised to have someone show her around town the next time she went in to be serviced.

After a few hours the other Star tugs began showing up. OJ and Top Hat were the first to arrive, OJ because he was always early and Top Hat because he had no cleaning to do to look presentable. Big Mac came next, having delivered his steel barge for the day and given himself a good scrub. Warrior was just behind him, looking surprisingly clean with his lines neatly coiled. Hercules doubted that would last more than a few hours.

Ten Cents and Sunshine were waiting for them in the harbor with supply barges, the two switchers weren’t needed on such a clear, calm day even with a ship as large as the Olympic.

With a smile, Hercules fired up his boiler and drew in his lines. The Olympic would be arriving soon and he had to head out to greet her. He didn’t travel far before he sighted her massive black hull in the distance, steaming due on course for Bigg City. Coming alongside the massive liner, Hercules sounded a greeting over his whistle. The Olympic responded with a low blast on her foghorn and slowed down her engines. Hercules matched her speed, then materialized his human form and stepped back out onto his stern. A worker on the cruise liner threw down a heaving line with a large monkey fist on the end. Hercules easily caught it and pulled the heaving line in, drawing the ocean liner’s huge bowline with it, and cleated the line on his stern cleat. Signaling that the line was secure, his human form dissipated.  
Pouring more steam into his engines, Hercules pulled the bowline taut and started towing the Olympic into the port. It barely strained his systems, since the Olympic could assist with her powerful engines. He wasn’t tugging the ship, but guiding her through the shoals and shallows of the estuary. As an ocean tug, Hercules had the topography of the entire bay committed to memory and it was his job to keep the ocean liner from grounding on her way in.

The other Star Tugs joined him as he passed Lillie, flanking the Olympic to keep her on course as they entered the harbor and turned toward the cruise liner dock. Other ships in the harbor kept their distance, but  
all eyes were on the Star fleet as they maneuvered through the busy port. Hercules frowned when he spotted Zorran watching, Zak floating at his side, but focused on his task. He doubted the Z-stacks would try anything in the middle of a clear, sunny day.

Really, it was refreshing to have an ocean liner docking go completely routine for once. They had no problems sliding the Olympic neatly into port, then the smaller tugs moved in for refueling and resupplying. Hercules removed the ocean liner’s bowline from his stern cleat and threw the heaving line to someone on the dock, who caught it and secured it swiftly. Now free of the ship, his job was done for the day. The ocean tug wouldn’t be needed until the Olympic left port the next morning.

Steaming back toward the Star Dock, Hercules debated whether to call Lucy and see about going to the theatre to see a film. He had the evening free, which was very rare. It was entirely possible that he might be sent up the coast for a week or longer after he tugged the Olympic out the next morning, so this could be his only chance for quite a while. There was just one small problem.

Tying up at his place at the end of the Star pier, Hercules doused his boiler for the day and transferred to his human form. Carefully stepping up onto the dock, Hercules paused for a moment to get accustomed to solid land that wasn’t moving or swaying before heading up for the office.

Captain Star was seated in his office, going over his contract paperwork and organizing the tasks for the next few days. Hercules gave a courtesy knock before stepping into the office and standing at attention in front of his Captain’s desk.

“Ah, Hercules. The Olympic is in, then?” Captain Star stacked his paperwork neatly and set it aside.

“Yes sir. She arrived right on schedule and is now docked up and being serviced by Ten Cents and Sunshine. There were no mishaps or surprises, just a routine docking.”

“For once,” The Captain muttered. Every ship and therefor every docking was different, but some of the mishaps they’d been having recently was a little ridiculous. It was a relief to have a normal docking. “Good  
job, Hercules. You have the evening off now, the Olympic will be departing tomorrow morning at 0800 sharp.”

“Yes sir,” Hercules relaxed his stance and hesitated before continuing, “Sir, I was wondering if I might have some change. I thought I might see a film tonight.”

Captain Star reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. It wasn’t a terribly unusual request, sometimes his tugs liked to go out and attend human events. They didn’t get a paycheck of any kind, and the Captain felt he could spare a bit of pocket change to allow his fleet some off time. He produced a couple one dollar bills and a few quarters from his wallet and passed them over to his lead tug. “That should be enough for a film and maybe something after.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hercules pocketed the change and stepped out.

His first stop was at a payphone to dial Lucy’s number. There was no guarantee that she would even be free that night, after all. Hercules was surprisingly nervous as he dialed the operator and gave her Lucy’s number, then waited and listened to the rings for her to pick up.

“Hello?”

 

“Hello, m’dear. This is Hercules, from last night? I was wondering if you might like to go to the theatre tonight.”

“Oh, Hercules! I didn’t think you’d call so soon,” Lucy sounded excited, that was good. “Sure, I would love to see a film. And this time, I got directions to the theatre so we won’t get lost again. Can you remember how to get to my apartment?”

“Yes I do. I’ll meet you there in a half hour.” Hercules breathed a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. Well, that was all sorted out. Now he just had to walk over to her apartment and hope that he really did remember the way. Things looked a bit different in the day time.

He walked among the throngs of humans out on the streets, hands in his pockets and head held high. He got the occasional odd looks, either because of his sailor’s uniform or from people who recognized him for what he was. Hercules didn’t let it bother him, though. He was actually making friends with a human. It was a little exciting. He wanted to ask Lucy all the questions he had, but at the same time didn’t want to scare her. He hadn’t even told her he wasn’t human.

Different scenarios ran through his head as he walked, trying to figure out what he could say. Everything sounded terrible though. This wasn’t exactly something he had experience with.

Hercules still hadn’t come up with a solution by the time he reached Lucy’s apartment, so he put it out of mind and stepped into the lobby. The doorman that answered rang up to Lucy’s apartment, and she came down shortly after. Dressed smartly in a long evening dress and a warm shoulder wrap, the young woman stifled a laugh when she saw her companion, “Are you wearing the same uniform as yesterday?”  
His human form had a default outfit that Hercules usually didn’t think too much about. He could change his appearance with some effort, but it was too late now. Oh well, “No, it’s not the same one. I just have several of the same uniform.”

“I see. Must be a thing for you sailing types,” She smiled and took his arm, “Well, it looks like the theatre is showing a good movie tonight. And this time, I know where the movie palace is.”

“Sounds splendid, darling.”

They strolled through the bright streets, and Hercules enjoyed the pleasure of listening to Lucy talk about her day. She worked as a counter girl at a corner drugstore, a world completely foreign to the ocean tug. With a tone of light exasperation, she shared stories of stubborn customers and odd new “miracle” products they had received in stock. Hercules wasn’t entirely sure what humans needed things like “anti-aging cream” or “diet pills” for, and apparently Lucy didn’t either. But she had to try and sell them anyway.

Lucy wrapped up a story and rolled her eyes, “But anyway, my life must seem pretty boring to you. How did your day go?”

“M’dear, your life is anything but boring to me,” Hercules smiled. She lived in a completely different world than he did, and he never tired hearing about it, “My day was fairly uneventful, nothing like yours. We brought in the ocean liner RMS Olympic this morning. She’s docked over at the large ship terminal, and will be departing tomorrow morning.”

“Oh wow, an ocean liner? The Olympic, isn’t that the Titanic’s sister ship?”

“Yes she is, and she is just as beautiful as her ill-fated sister. Though not as much of a handful, I’d imagine. There were no problems at all bringing her in, a perfectly routine docking.”

“Still, that sounds so exciting,” Lucy’s eyes lit up, “To see an ocean liner up close like that. I’ve only ever seen pictures.”

That he could do for her, “Well, would you like to go see her? She’s right down at the pier.”

“Really, we can do that? Then let’s go!”

They turned down towards the docks, leaving downtown behind them. The Olympic’s four tall funnels came into view over the tops of the buildings as they headed downhill, then finally the liner herself became visible. If Hercules had thought she looked huge out at sea, here in his human form the ocean liner was a towering behemoth. The two made their way down the dock, Hercules walking with the confidence of someone who knew they belonged there. The other sailors barely gave him a second glance.

“Wow,” Lucy was wide-eyed as she craned her neck to look up the steel sides of massive ocean liner, “I knew the ships were big, but I never imagined that something this large could float.”

“Float she does. And very well, in fact. She could out run a tugboat like me without any effort.” Though he had a very powerful engine, Hercules wasn’t particularly fast. Tugboats were built for towing power, not for speed. Though, if he were allowed to brag a little bit, his long, narrow prow did make him faster than any of the smaller harbor tugs.

“’Ey, is that Hercules I hear?” With a chuffing sound, Ten Cents rounded the stern of the big ocean steamer and rested against the dock, a grin on his face, “Oi, Hercules! Is that your lady friend?”

“Hi, Ten Cents,” Hercules put a hand on Lucy’s arm, “Yes, this is Lucy. We’re going out to the theatre tonight, but she wanted to see the Olympic.”

“Well, hi there Lucy. I’m Ten Cents.” The switcher winked at Hercules, “Well, I guess we won’t expect you back til late then, huh?”

“Who’re you talkin’ to, Ten Cents?” Sunshine rounded the Olympic’s stern as well and gave one of his signature whistles, “Wow, Hercules, you sure bagged a good one there, eh?”

“Sunshine.” Hercules nodded at the small tugboat, who of course didn’t seem quite to tiny from this angle. “We’re just off to the movie palace, Lucy wanted to see the ocean liner.”

“Yeah, she’s a real beaut all right. And it’s good ta meet you, Lucy,” Ten Cents smiled and shifted into reverse, “Well, you have fun off at th’ movies and such. We gotta keep loading up the ship.”

“I’ll see you two tonight.” Hercules waved at them and turned back toward land, “Alright m’dear, it’s almost time for the 7 o’clock showing, so we should probably get moving.”

“Those were talking boats,” Lucy seemed a bit shell shocked from the encounter with the two switchers, “And they knew you? Does everything know who you are down here?”

“Those were my fleet mates, Ten Cents and Sunshine.” Hercules was a bit concerned by her reaction, and hoped that she wasn’t soured towards living ships, “They’re switchers, and do small jobs around the harbor. Fuel supply runs, log boom management, barge towing, that sort of thing. And yes, everyone in Bigg City harbor knows who I am.”

“Well, I didn’t realize I was in the company of someone famous.”

Well, she must be okay if she was cracking jokes. Arm in arm, the two headed back toward the city.

The movie palace was a beacon of marquee lights in the heart of the city, movie goers crowding the ticket booth to see the latest show. Always a gentleman, Hercules pulled out the dollar bill he had been given and paid for both of their tickets. Lucy, though, insisted on paying for their snacks. It was fine with Hercules, he didn’t eat or drink anyway. Though he did have to come up with an excuse for why he didn’t want any of the popcorn or a soda pop.

The movie was excellent, some sort of swashbuckling high seas adventure. Hercules wisely kept his mouth shut about any of the terrible seasmanship and simply tried to enjoy the plot and the company of his companion. It wasn’t that bad, really, as long as he ignored some of the physics of the sailing ships and focused on the characters.

“That was great,” Lucy was quite excited as they walked out of the movie palace. The sun had gone down and the streets of Bigg City were lit up. Lucy shivered a bit and pulled her wrap closer around her, “Aren’t you a bit cold, Hercules?”

It was a bit chilly, but he barely felt it. A night chill was nothing compared to winter out on the high seas, “I’m fine, m’dear. I’m glad you enjoyed the film. Shall I escort you home?”

Lucy sighed and gripped his arm a little tighter, “I guess it is time to go home, isn’t it? I have to be up for work tomorrow. Well, thank you for the night out.”

“It’s no problem, darling. I had a good time,” They walked up the bright city street back towards her apartment, “Shall I call you the next time I’m in port? I don’t know when I’ll be in next, but I’m sure there’ll be a  
new picture showing by then.”

“That sounds splendid.”

Before he knew it, they were back at her apartment building. Time flew when you were in passionate discussion about films. He bade her farewell at her door, and after a moments hesitation Lucy leaned forward and gave Hercules a quick peck on the cheek. Blushing brightly, she disappeared inside and left Hercules standing in shock on the front doorstep. He wasn’t entirely certain, but he thought he had just been kissed.

The next morning, the Star Tugs took the Olympic back out to sea, then Hercules was given a new job. A car ferry needed to be towed up the coast, then he was to bring back a full boom of lumber. It would keep him gone for at least a week, giving him plenty of time on his own to think.

Lucy sighed as she restocked the shelves in the small drugstore. She hadn’t gotten a call from Hercules the previous night, which meant he was probably out on the sea for who knew how long. It was a risky gamble trying to get into a relationship with a sailor who was rarely home, but she couldn’t help but be a bit enamored with Hercules. He was so nice, and thoughtful, and he really loved movies. And, of course, he was pretty cute.

After she got off of work, Lucy decided to wander around the waterfront and look at the boats. They all seemed to be good friends of Hercules, and it wouldn’t hurt to meet them. She just had to get used to the idea of boats that talked.

Walking slowly along the docks, Lucy watched the activity out on the water. There were huge ships being unloaded by tall cranes, and tiny motorboats speeding by with humans at their helm. She paused on the end of a pier to stare down into the water when there was suddenly quite a number of bubbles and a long, grey shape surfaced. A submarine, and a familiar one at that.

“Hello!” Lucy leaned over and called out, unsure how well the submarine could hear.

“What? Oh, hello,” The submarine turned until she could see his face, “You’re Lucy, right? Hercules’ friend?”

“Yes, that’s me,” She was grateful he remembered her, “I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”

“I’m Grampus,” He said with a smile, “Oh, hold on a sec. I know an easier way for us to talk.” Grampus cast out several lines and moored himself to the pier, then transferred to his human form.

Lucy wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting, but she was quite astonished when the submarine’s hatch opened and a young man in a grey sailor suit climbed out.

“There, that’s better,” Grampus hopped up onto the dock and held out his hand, “Pleasure to meet you, Lucy.”

“Oh, r-right,” She shook his hand, “How did you do that?”

“What, this?” Grampus gestured down at his body, “This is my human form. It’s just an illusion, to make it easier to handle lines and talk to humans and such. Completely fake, just looks and feels real.”

“Can all living ships do that?” Lucy had just gotten used to the idea of boats that talked, and now suddenly she had to face boats that could look human too.

“As far as I know.” Grampus shrugged, “But anyway, what are you doing down at the docks? Hercules is out on a tow up the coast, he won’t be back until next week at least.”

So that’s why he hadn’t called, “Well, I don’t know. I was bored, and I knew Hercules has a lot of friends down here. I guess I wanted to just come down and see them.”

“Oh. Well, if you want to meet Hercules’ friends, you want the Star dock. Come on, I can take you there. It’s not far away.”

Unsure of what she was getting into, Lucy followed Grampus down the docks. The Star dock was tucked away next to one of the large bridges that spanned the narrower parts of the bay. It was still early in the evening and not all the Star Tugs had returned yet, but Warrior, Top Hat, OJ, and Ten Cents were sitting around in their assorted chairs relaxing after a hard day.

“Hey guys, look who I found down at the docks,” Grampus announced as they walked down onto the square floating dock that bobbed gently up and down in the waves. Around them were the tugboat’s true bodies, their wheelhouses dark and their engines silent.

“Oh, hello Grampus. Hi Lucy,” Ten Cents turned in his ripped up office swivel chair, “What’re you doing up here? Hercules is up th’ coast, he won’t be back til next week.”

“I know, but I wanted to meet some of his friends.” Lucy hesitated before edging into one of the tattered chairs, “Hercules says everyone in the harbor knows him.”

“That’s quite true, the lad is a tad famous around here. In a harbor like this though, everyone knows everyone,” OJ laughed and leaned forward on his cane, holding out a hand, “My name’s OJ, oldest tug left in Bigg City.”

“And I hardly think that’s something to brag about,” Top Hat sniffed.

“Don’t you listen to him,” Ten Cents waved his snooty fleetmate off, “That’s Top Hat, probably the prissiest ship in Bigg City.”

Top Hat spluttered, but did not otherwise deny Ten Cents’ statement. Lucy giggled at the exchange.

“And I’m Warrior.” The large harbor tug spoke up from his deep, cushy chair. He had been on garbage detail all day, and the others had forced him to get a scrub down before he could come in for the night.

“Good to meet you all.” Lucy smiled and tucked her hands into her lap. A large steamer sailed past, the wake rocking the dock they sat on and nearly knocking her over. Grampus quickly grabbed hold of her chair and kept her upright, the others on the dock not bothered by the rolling at all.

“Right,” Ten Cents leaned back and continued the story he had been telling before Lucy had come, “Anyway, like I was saying earlier. I was out wit’ Scuttlebutt this mornin’ when one of them Z-stacks went by. Zug, o’ course, the tiny annoying one. And he says…”

Lucy sat and listened to them swap stories for a while before politely excusing herself and heading home. She had stayed long enough to meet Big Mac as well, and to see Sunshine again, but she had work the next morning. As pleasant as their company was, it was a little awkward without Hercules there. She had no idea what they were talking about much of the time, and something had occurred to her while she was sitting there. Everyone that she had met that knew Hercules was a living ship, and with the Star Tugs as his fleetmates it was likely that Hercules was a ship as well.

That would, admittedly, explain a few things. Like why he didn’t know his way around town, and why he didn’t eat or drink at the movies. It was an odd thought, to consider that the man she had been spending time with, was really starting to like even, was not human but a tugboat.

What would that mean for them? Was it legal to be in a relationship with a tugboat? Did Hercules even know what a relationship was? She had kissed him a few nights ago, did he know what that had meant? He must’ve, he had watched romance films just like she had.

Still, she fretted. And there was nothing she could do until Hercules returned from up the coast. Whenever that would be.

A week and three days after he had left, Hercules steamed back into Bigg City port towing a large log boom behind him. He had been delayed at sea by a storm that had blown through and nearly broke apart the logs. As it was, the ocean tug was quite glad to be back home. The storm had managed to knock his glasses into the sea, so he had been whistle navigating and relying on his charts. Anything further than twenty  
feet or so was fine, but closer than that and it was a big blur. Which would make coming into the harbor fairly difficult.

Fortunately, as he passed Lillie he found other Star tugs out working the harbor. OJ and Big Mac both had trampers in tow, but Ten Cents was empty. The switcher turned when he heard Hercules’ whistle and paused in surprise.

“Oi, Hercules, you’re back. What ‘appened to your glasses?”

“Big storm, blew them right off my face,” Hercules sighed, “Could you help guide me in, I’m afraid I can’t see a thing right now.”

“Oh, right. Uh, sure,” Ten Cents came alongside the larger tug and threw him a couple lines. He rafted up until his side was touching Hercules’, then they got underway headed for the sawmill that would take the logs. “Is that alright?”

“That’s fine. Just don’t run me into anything, alright darling?” The two were moving slowly, Hercules still taking most of the weight of the logs on his lines. Even without being able to see, the drop off at the sawmill still went fairly routine. Hercules sat calmly as Ten Cents secured the logs, then the two headed back to the Star Dock.

“Here, I’ll go get you a coal barge to refuel,” Ten Cents steamed off as soon as Hercules was tied up at his normal moorage.

“Thank you, Ten Cents m’dear.” Hercules finally turned off his engine, giving the tired thing a rest.

“Welcome back, Hercules,” Captain Star’s voice boomed from his megaphone, “Were there any problems with the storm?”

“The logs are fine, sir. But I have lost my glasses.”

The Captain sighed. Hercules was one of only a few ships that needed glasses, so each pair had to be custom made. Fortunately, the job the ocean tug had just finished would more than cover the fee, “Alright, I’ll call Lucky and get a new pair made. They should be ready in a day or two. Until then, you have the day off.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hercules closed his eyes, finally able to get some sleep.

After being out at sea with no rest for over a week, Hercules managed to sleep nearly all of the next day and woke up just in time to go and get fitted for his new glasses. Now able to see again, he tied up and went out into town to call Lucy. After all, this could be his only evening in port before another long tow.

“Yes, hello?”

“Hello, m’dear. This is Hercules. Are you free tonight?”

Lucy’s heart jumped into her throat. She had been waiting for him to return, and now he was back, “Yes, yes, of course I’m free. There’s a new movie showing at the Orpheum. Or Duke Ellington’s orchestra is going to be in tonight, so we could see that instead. I mean, whatever you want to do.”

“Anything sounds wonderful, darling. I’ll come by in a half hour. See you then.”

Lucy dashed over to her closet, wondering just what she should wear. She wanted to be classy, but not too formal. They weren’t going to see an opera after all. Probably something she could dance in, but she didn’t want to look like a flapper.

Hercules had remembered her comment from their last time at the movies and, with some effort, changed what his human form was wearing into a slightly more formal looking naval uniform. He was standing politely in the lobby of the apartment building when Lucy came out of the elevator, dressed in a lovely red dress and a light shawl over her shoulders.

“Hello, darling, how are you tonight?” Hercules smiled and offered his arm.

“I’m doing wonderfully,” Lucy took his arm and they headed for the door, “I see you changed your clothes.”

“Well, I could hardly come in my usual outfit for a night out to see the Duke Ellington orchestra.” The night outside was warm and dry, a perfect summer evening in Bigg City.

“They probably wouldn’t’ve let such a scruffy sailor in through the door,” Lucy teased as they walked down the streets, “So, how was your trip? I heard from the others that you were towing logs?”

“Oh, have you been talking with the other Star Tugs while I was away?” They hadn’t mentioned that. Hercules would need to have a little talk with them when he returned, “I towed a car ferry up north and brought back a log boom, yes. It was a bit of a trip, there was a storm that blew my glasses right off my face. I had to get a new pair made this morning.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you actually needed your glasses to see.” Lucy wondered how that worked, a ship that needed glasses. Had he been … built with eye problems? Or however a living ship was brought to life. Or was it a problem that had developed later?

Their conversation was light as they made their way to the concert hall, then there wasn’t any room for talking as they enjoyed the lively jazz music. Lucy had quite a laugh trying to teach Hercules how to dance, as cool and suave as he was he certainly had two left feet. Though, that would make sense, if he was used to not having feet at all.

On that walk home, Lucy knew she couldn’t wait any longer to confront her companion. If he left the next day, she couldn’t wait another week and a half to talk to him. “Hercules, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, darling,” He looked at her with some concern. “What is it?”

Well, she might as well come right out and say it, “Are you a living ship?”

“Well of course, m’dear.” He didn’t look ashamed or try to hide it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hercules shrugged, “I wasn’t sure how. I’ve never met a human who couldn’t tell before, and you seemed quite nervous around the other ships. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Well, that was a bit sappy, “And you’re a tugboat?”

“Yes, I am. An ocean-going tugboat, to be specific. The only one home ported out of Bigg City, in fact.” He was quite proud of that fact. Star Tug and Marine was the only company in the city with an ocean-goer,  
which meant that any long-haul contracts out of the city went to him.

“So, how does… ?” Lucy paused and composed her words, “Look, I really like you, but I’m not sure how a relationship with a tugboat would work. I mean, I’m willing to try if you are, but…”

“Relationship?” Hercules was surprised, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I’m not really interested in that kind of thing, human style relationships. I was hoping we could be friends, and go out to see movies and concerts like we have been.”

“Oh. OH,” Lucy was a bit disappointed, but at the same time relieved. “I mean, is that a thing for all ships?”

“No, I don’t believe so. I’ve known other ships who’ve fallen in love, but I suppose it’s not the same for me. It doesn’t bother me any,” The smile faded from his face and he grew more serious, “Is that bad? I’ve never had a human friend before, I’m sure how it works.”

“Oh, no, no, that’s fine,” Lucy laughed, “We can still keep seeing movies and spending time together like we have been. I mean, I’ve never had a friend who was a boat before, so we’re even. Could you take me for a cruise sometime? I’ve never been out on the water.”

“Well, why not tonight? Come on, we’ll go down to my dock.” He smiled and led the way to the Star Dock.

The other Stars were in, sitting around as usual, and the two gave them brief greetings on their way down to the very end of the Star dock. Lucy had seen the other tugs out working, but she was still a bit shocked to see Hercules’ real body floating at the end of the dock. He was huge, his black hull rising up over her head with the name “Hercules” painted proudly on the bow.

Hercules helped her step aboard, then his human form dissipated. Lucy was surprised when he just vanished at her side, but then she looked up to see his face replace the ship’s wheelhouse. It was weird, she barely came up to his nose this way, but he still looked just the same. The kind eyes and broad smile.

“Well, welcome aboard, m’dear.” Hercules fired up his boiler and smoke puffed out of his stack. He hadn’t been sitting for more than a few hours, and still had plenty of steam pressure. Casting off his lines, Hercules reversed his engines and slide quietly away from the dock.

“Wow, it is really nice out here.” Lucy was sitting out on one of his bow cleats, watching the water flow by below. The night was warm, so she didn’t even need her shoulder wrap, “I didn’t realize that your engines would be so quiet.”

“Steam engines don’t make much noise,” Hercules was proud of that fact, he wasn’t loud and obnoxious like some of the newer diesel engines that they had been making, “I’m sorry I don’t have any chairs, darling, they aren’t something I usually need.”

He pulled over to a calm inlet where they had a great view of the city lights reflecting off the water, then dropped anchor and killed his engine. With that secure, he shifted to his human form and stepped out of the wheelhouse, “Come on, it’s the nicest view out on the stern.”

Lucy followed him out onto his stern fantail, gasping at the sight of Bigg City all lit up, “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

“And this is why I love this city.” Hercules helped Lucy to sit down on the deck, then joined her.

Lucy leaned into him, watching a few boats that were still traveling home for the night, “So, I hear that the new talkie movie is coming to the Orpheum in a few weeks.”

“A talkie? You mean they’ve started making movies with sound?” And here he’d just gotten used to reading the title cards.

“Yes, I hear it’s pretty great. But I don’t know, I think sound might ruin the whole thing. I mean, they won’t have to act anymore if we can just hear them. I want to see what they’re saying, in their gestures and movements.” Okay, so she was a bit of a film snob. But really, talkies? It sounded like some crazy new fad.

“Well, we’ll just have to watch it and see, won’t we m’dear.” Hercules gave her a poke, “Don’t judge it so hard, I think it’ll be wonderful.”

“You just have no appreciation for a good film.”

“Movie snob.”

“Barbarian.”

The two sat out there, looking over the lights of the city and arguing over movies. And so their relationship continued much as it had before, involving much film watching, concert going, and cruises around the harbor.


End file.
